Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday reacted cautiously
to the Indo-Afghan strategic partnership agreement though it
asked Kabul to show responsibility and refrain from
"grandstanding" or "point-scoring" in the face of trouble in
bilateral ties.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua chose not to
make any direct comment on the agreement between India and
Afghanistan while responding to questions at her weekly news
briefing and just said that all regional players should work
in "cooperative mode" to achieve peace and stability.
"We would like to underscore the importance of peace and
stability in Afghanistan and the region, and to achieve this
we need to remain in a cooperative mode. We continue to look
at the document that has been signed," she said.
The agreement, signed on Tuesday during President Hamid
Karzai's visit to India, paves the way for India to train and
equip Afghan security forces - an issue that has sparked
concern in Pakistan.
The Indo-Afghan pact came at a time when the ties between
Kabul and Islamabad are at a low following the killing of
former president and peace council head Burhanuddin Rabbani,
for which Kabul has blamed the ISI.
Janjua said Islamabad has so far received from Kabul the
confessional statement of an Afghan national arrested in
connection with the assassination and the material provided by
the Afghan government is being examined.
"At this defining stage when challenges have multiplied as
well as the opportunities it is our expectation that everyone,
especially those in position of authority in Afghanistan, will
demonstrate requisite maturity and responsibility. This is no
time for point-scoring, playing politics or grandstanding,"
Janjua said.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, October 06, 2011, 21:45